The specific and detailed regulations that govern the operation of Queensborough Community College are the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York. (Copies of the University Bylaws are available in the Kurt R. Schmeller Library.) Members of the faculty are referred to these Bylaws for details concerning the governance structure of the University and the regulations relating to appointment, reappointment, promotion, and tenure. Copies of new Bylaws are received regularly by the president and by the chairs of all departments.
Information on the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees may be found at: www1.cuny.edu/trustees
Queensborough Community College/CUNY is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Immigration Reform and Control Act/Americans with Disabilities Act institution. The College does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, alienage or citizenship, religion, race, color, national or ethnic origin, disability, or veteran’s or marital status in its student admissions, employment, access to programs, and administration of educational policies. Persons with disabilities requesting reasonable accommodations should contact the Queensborough ADA/Sec. 504 Compliance Officer at least 72 hours in advance of the scheduled event. Call 7l8-63l-6391.
Queensborough Community College, a unit of The City University of New York, was established in 1958 by action of the Board of Trustees under the program of the University of the State of New York. Classes were first held in September 1960. The City University of New York, of which Queensborough is a part, is a public institution comprising 11 senior colleges, 6 community colleges, a graduate school, a law school and a medical school. The City University dates from 1847 when, as a result of a public referendum, the needs of the city for free higher education were first met by the establishment of the Free Academy, now City College. In 1961, the four senior colleges and the three community colleges then existing and operating under the direction of the Board of Higher Education became known as (by State legislation) The City University of New York. Approximately 35 percent of the monies needed to fund the College are provided by student tuition; approximately 31 percent is provided by New York State; and approximately 34 percent by New York City.
Operating within the framework of the City University of New York, Queensborough Community College is committed to fostering a collaborative, learning-centered community. The College is dedicated to academic excellence and to the development of the whole individual in an environment that promotes intellectual inquiry, global awareness, and lifelong active learning. Queensborough is committed equally to open-admission access for all learners and to academic excellence within an environment of diversity. In the service of these goals, Queensborough utilizes the close integration of academic and support services and a focused attention to pedagogy. The College offers post-secondary associate degree and certificate programs that prepare students for careers and for transfer to four-year institutions of higher learning. Queensborough provides its students a variety of opportunities to enrich themselves intellectually and socially and to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for success.
Recognizing that learning is a dynamic and collaborative process, the College offers comprehensive, multi-layered academic programs that serve as a framework for students to become active, responsible partners in their intellectual pursuits. Providing a rich general education core aimed at enhancing students’ critical thinking and decision making skills, and utilizing effective learning strategies, the College offers many options to students for achieving their academic and career goals. As a community that values the diversity of its members, Queensborough strives to individualize the college experience through meaningful collaboration among students, faculty and staff. The College features a highly qualified faculty with excellent scholarly credentials, well-planned curricula and developmental course work, strong and closely integrated academic and student support services, and the use of innovative pedagogy, including educational technology. To help ensure excellence in teaching and learning, Queensborough engages in on-going assessment of its academic offerings and support services, promotes research on community college pedagogy, and supports scholarly accomplishments and professional advancement among its faculty and staff.
In response to evolving community needs, Queensborough also offers non-credit courses, certificate programs and other activities. These provide community residents with accessible and affordable educational, recreational and job training opportunities, and help individuals and businesses and other institutions respond to changes in technology and the economy. The College takes a leadership role in providing access to arts and culture to enrich the quality of life for the community at large.
Queensborough Community College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Programs in Computer Engineering Technology, Electronic Engineering Technology, Laser and Fiber Optics Engineering Technology, and Mechanical Engineering Technology are accredited by TAC of ABET (Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET). The Nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. Business programs are accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs.
Queensborough Community College has a superior and highly credentialed faculty. Every member of the full-time faculty holds an advanced degree or its equivalent. Fifty-seven percent hold the doctorate, and another 24% hold professional licenses or the terminal degree in their field. Those who teach in the career-oriented areas—business, the health sciences, the technologies—have had practical experience in their fields as well as the academic expertise. Those who teach in the creative and performing arts are, in many instances, professionals in the fine arts, dance, and theater arts. The full-time faculty number approximately 345 and the adjunct faculty approximately 600 as of fall 2011.
Queensborough is a very diverse campus, with students from over 140 countries. The majority live in Queens, the country’s most diverse county, and 39.3% speak a language other than English at home. The primary ethnicity of our students is evenly represented among White (23%), Black (25%), Hispanic/Latino (27%), Asian (24%) and American Indian (1%). Of the 15,316 students enrolled in Fall 2010, 89.99% were pursuing degrees, while 55% are female.
Source: Queensborough Fact Book 2011
In May 2007 the Academic Senate of the College adopted the following revised statement of Educational Goals and Objectives for students earning the Associate degree.
Students graduating with an Associate degree will:
To achieve these goals, students graduating with an Associate degree will:
All first-time, full-time freshmen at Queensborough participate in one of six Freshman Academies based on their chosen area of study. The six Academies are:
Business Education Health Related Sciences Liberal Arts
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Visual and Performing Arts
See the Programs of Study section of the College Catalog for a list of the degree and certificate programs associated with each academy.
When new students arrive on campus in August, they receive a comprehensive orientation and meet the academy support staff. Participating in a Freshman Academy helps guide students through their first two semesters and makes it easier for them to feel at home on campus, meet people, and get the best advice. The goal of the Freshman Academies is to improve the retention and graduation rates of our students and, in so doing, build students’ commitment to their future education and lifelong careers.
Students are assigned to a Freshman Coordinator for their first two semesters. The Freshman Coordinator acts as a bridge for students, guiding them to student support service areas such as tutoring, academic advisement, counseling, career services, financial aid and makes sure that students take advantage of all the resources Queensborough has to offer.
One or more Faculty Coordinators are assigned to each academy. They collaborate and communicate with Department Chairs, faculty, Student Affairs, Freshman Coordinators and students regarding high-impact learning experiences, faculty teaching/learning initiatives, academic advisement and course registration.
As part of their classroom activities, all academy students in degree programs participate in two high impact learning experiences during their first 30 credits. These high impact experiences include conducting service learning projects, engaging in cornerstone courses, participating in learning communities, developing e-portfolios and/or pursuing writing intensive courses. These activities increase students’ engagement and help them progress through their studies.
Students may attend special events related to their Freshman Academy to reinforce classroom learning. The QCC Art Gallery, Kupferberg Holocaust Center, and the Performing Arts Center offer on-campus cultural educational opportunities to stimulate student learning.
Definition: Introductory-level, subject-based, disciplinary courses that deliberately and systematically draw attention to the teaching and assessment of the general education outcomes of communication (reading, writing, speaking), critical thinking (analysis and synthesis), information management, and values development for life in a diverse society.
Application: In addition to incorporating the general education outcomes/assessments and the identification, development, and assessment of student-produced artifacts, faculty teaching Cornerstone courses are expected to establish a particularly positive teacher-student relationship that encourages an unusually robust degree of interaction outside the classroom.
Definition: An individually and personally oriented electronic archiving system that is integrated into specially identified and specifically designated courses for the purposes of (a) demonstrating student achievement, including (but not limited to) verifications of acquired general education competencies and acquisition of knowledge/skills for career or further education; (b) providing a systematic mechanism and opportunity for student self-reflection regarding progress toward identified educational goals; and (c) facilitating individual and program- or college-wide assessment of student learning outcomes.
Application: Faculty who teach courses that have been specifically designated as incorporating e-Portfolio are expected to advance students’ awareness of the utility and benefits of e-Portfolio beyond the delimited uses prescribed for the particular course.
Definition: Two courses or more (two of which have at least three equated credits) in which the students enrolled are common to all courses in the learning community and in which course work across the learning community is in some way integrated for an especially enhanced intellectual experience for students.
Application: Faculty who teach a course in a learning community are expected to engage in joint planning (including, but not limited to, the development of joint assignments across all courses in the learning community), in some collaborative teaching during the term of offering, and in consultative student assessment. They are further expected to plan and facilitate outside-of-class engagements with and among students in activities that (a) demonstrate the interrelatedness of content in the learning community and (b) engage students in experiences to enrich the totality of the intellectual experience of the learning community.
Definition: Systematically planned extracurricular experiences of a socially beneficial nature that are incorporated into the requirements of a course and that have a demonstrable relationship to enhancing the student outcomes of the course.
Application: Faculty who incorporate service learning into courses are expected to do so in a way that ensures that the service is supportive of and enhances student learning in the course. Faculty are expected to reinforce the value of this service with students and community partners.
Definition: Specifically designated course sections that—in addition to providing the established disciplinary-oriented student outcomes—incorporate approved instructional strategies and course assignments designed to enhance students’ writing ability and writing to learn.
Application: Faculty who teach writing intensive courses are required to complete a pre-service training program
As professional educators faculty have a collective responsibility to participate in the governance of the colleges and universities in which they are appointed. They fulfill this responsibility in a number of ways. One is through participation in governance bodies and committees of the college. Indeed the participation of faculty with administrations in the governance of educational institutions is termed “Shared Governance.” Each faculty member over a career is expected to participate in governance at the local or departmental level and on the college wide level and, for some, at the university level. It is important to note that it is through governance that faculty participate in the decision making on matters that are covered under Academic Freedom: who is to teach, who is to be taught, what is taught and how it is to be taught. Academic and curricular matters are affairs for governance.
The Board of Trustees (BOT) is the body responsible for the operation of The City
College of New York (CUNY). It is charged by the University of the State of New York with the operation of CUNY. The BOT has bylaws and policies that are to be observed
by all units of CUNY. Each unit of CUNY has been given certain responsibilities
delegated by the BOT. Each unit is charged by the BOT with having a Governance Plan that is approved by the BOT. Each unit has its own Governing Body which is responsible for setting policies at the local unit and forwarding proposals as to policies to the BOT
for its approval. College Policies and proposals for Degree Programs and curricular
matters once approved by the local governing body are submitted to the BOT and then to the State Education Department.
The bylaws of the Board of Trustees may be obtained at: http://policy.cuny.edu/toc/btb
Queensborough has its own Governance Plan which may be accessed at: www.qcc.cuny.edu/governance.
At Queensborough the local governing body is the Academic Senate which has its own bylaws. The president presides at its meetings. The agenda are set by the Steering Committee in consultation with the president. The Academic Senate shall be the voice of the academic community of Queensborough Community College of The City University of New York in all matters that shall appropriately be brought before it, including:
The Academic Senate is composed of members of all constituencies of the college: the administration (6), the Department Chairs (18), the faculty (41), adjunct faculty (2), higher education officers (HEO) (2), college laboratory technicians (CLTs) (2), students (6), and one alumnus/a.
At Queensborough, there is a student government. It elects its own officers and several of the highest officers serve as members of the Academic Senate.
The Academic Senate has a number of standing committees and faculty and students serve on them. They are quite valuable to the operation of the College and are influential in shaping practices and policies of the College. Service in the Academic Senate and on its Standing Committees is considered an important contribution to the College and is considered as part of the personnel review process for tenure and promotion. However, just volunteering and being elected to a Committee is not enough to be considered as actual service in this regard; the contribution you actually make to the committee is the basis for evaluation. The agenda, minutes, and reports of all committees are now placed in the archives (print and digital) of the College. They report on the actual work being done in service to the college and to further the development of the College. Please consider whether or not you are willing to spend the time to attend meetings and assist the committee in fulfilling its charge.
At Queensborough, the faculty exercise considerable authority in matters of the College. The faculty have their own Bylaws. The faculty may vote to veto any matter approved by the Academic Senate. The faculty may also call for a special meeting of the Academic Senate and place matters on the agenda of that meeting. The faculty are governed by their Bylaws and they elect a Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) to represent the interests of the faculty. The FEC is elected to three year terms. The head of the Faculty Committee serves as the head of the faculty. The Faculty Executive Committee may form committees of the faculty. The FEC may also sponsor and organize meetings of the faculty. The Faculty Executive Committee holds a general faculty meeting each semester and meets with the President of the College each semester.
More information on the Academic Senate may be obtained at: www.qcc.cuny.edu/governance/academicSenate.
More information on Queensborough’s Faculty Executive Committee may be obtained at: www.qcc.cuny.edu/governance/faculty.
The University has a University Faculty Senate (UFS), established through the BOT bylaws: Section 8.13. UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE. “There shall be a university faculty senate, responsible, subject to the board, for the formulation of policy relating to the academic status, role, rights, and freedoms of the faculty, university level educational and instructional matters, and research and scholarly activities of university-wide import. The powers and duties of the university faculty senate shall not extend to areas or interests which fall exclusively within the domain of the faculty councils of the constituent units of the university. Consistent with the powers of the board in accordance with the education law and the bylaws of the board, the university faculty senate shall make its own bylaws providing for the election of its own officers, the establishment of its own rules and procedures for the election of senators, for its internal administration and for such other matters as is necessary for its continuing operations.”
Through its many committees and its plenary meetings and actions the UFS is involved in the formulation of policies and practices of the University. Faculty elect representatives to serve in the UFS. In addition, faculty may serve on the committees of the UFS.
More information on the University Faculty Senate may be obtained at: www.cunyufs.org
